On 23rd June 2026 we celebrate International Women in Engineering Day. This day is an opportunity to recognise the talented women whose skills, knowledge and dedication help drive our business forward every day.

From production and assembly to inspection, coordination and training, women across our organisation play a vital role in ensuring quality, safety and innovation remain at the heart of what we do which is why we celebrate them every day.

As an example, in the last 4 years, the number of women working in our Engineering team has quadrupled. There is still a lot of work to do to create an even playing field but we are well on the way, and believe we offer a safe and inspiring environment for women entering this industry.

 

Contributions to the team

The female members of the team all bring different skills and talents, outside of their job descriptions making Parvalux a rich and vibrant place to work.

Anna Kucharska, Sub Assembly NDE Operator believes her strength on the team is to use her “skills and knowledge to make good decisions, solve problems, and ensure the work is done safely and correctly every day”. Kirsty Harding, Inspection Co-Ordinator, expands on this by adding that it is important to “use technical knowledge, inspection data, and practical judgment to ensure equipment, assets, or projects remain safe, compliant, and efficient.”

 

At Parvalux we pride ourselves on our safety, quality and durability of our workplace and the products we manufacture, and the women on the team hold this at the core of their work. Pat Harris, Operator, for example, believes that “making sure every stage of the build is correct, makes the job easier for everyone,” which will ultimately build a strong team. Whereas Sunee Bowns, Machine Setter, emphasises the importance of being in tune with the product lines, and being able to react quickly and efficiently to changes on the production line, even if that means stopping the process and reporting and escalating the issues as necessary.

 

It is precisely this care for quality and attention to detail that we value in all of our staff here at Parvalux.

 

Entering a male dominated industry

As much as the industry is now fully available to women it can still raise challenges when first entering the workplace and this can result in some steep learning curves. Kirsty remembers when she started that:

“The steepest learning curve when I first moved into the role was learning how to manage multiple inspections simultaneously while ensuring all documentation, compliance requirements and communications were correct and up to date.

What helped me get through it was developing organizational daily habits and leaning on my colleagues for their knowledge and experiences.”

Pat agrees that her colleagues were invaluable in those first days: “I came from a very different environment. I worked in food production and then goods-in in a warehouse, so this was totally different. What got me through was supportive and organised colleagues.”

Anna and Sunee believed the steepest learning curve was the role and the processes themselves with Anna stating: “The hardest part was learning the assembly process, work instructions, and different components of the NDE unit. I improved by asking questions, practicing every day, and learning from experienced team members.” Sunee adds that her own sheer determination to learn the role and to carry it out efficiently was her key to success.